Ugly Betty may be gone from the airwaves (did anyone notice?) but Beautiful Betty is blossoming! Betty White’s much ballyhooed hosting gig on Saturday Night Live – inspired by a Facebook campaign, won its time period with a 8.8 overnight metered-market household rating, according to Nielsen. Among adults 18-49 in the 25 Local People Meter markets, the program averaged a […]
The new syndication season begins next Monday, and its going to be tougher to launch a new show than ever before, thanks to the upcoming election and the exploding number of alternative choices available in the marketplace. There are seven new first-run strips invading the airwaves this year, but all of them will have to face competition from cable news […]
Quick, when was the last true first-run syndicated hit? Though many syndicators would argue, it was six years ago with Dr. Phil averaging a 4.4 Nielsen rating in its freshman season. Before that, you would have to go all the way back to June 1996 for the last breakout hit – Warner Bros.’ The Rosie O’Donnell Show. And if you […]
Thanks to major acquistions as of late, the ION network is no longer known as the “infomercial network” or the “Mama’s Family Network.” The net formerly known as PAX unveiled its new lineup on Thursday at its upfront presentation at the New York Public Library, and it consists of newly acquired off-network fare including Ghost Whisperer, ER (seasons 11-14), Criminal […]
– Wizards Rule: Disney-ABC Domestic Television has cleared Wizard’s First Rule in 84 percent of the country, including all top 50 markets, i.e., the 50 largest metro areas in the country – essentially making it a “firm go”. To see a complete list of station groups airing the show this fall, click here (locally, Wizard’s will air on WGN-TV.) This […]
New weekend off-network hours that are making the rounds for syndication in 2008 have cleared Chicago stations. Boston Legal, the Emmy-award series from Twentieth Television, has cleared WLS-TV in Chicago for weekend runs next fall, as well as fellow ABC O&O’s in Los Angeles (KABC), San Francisco (KGO), and Houston (KTRK). Other stations clearing the hour include Scripps’ WXYZ-TV in […]